As A Matter of Fact!
SOMSD Newsletter | Vol 2. Issue 16 | June 18, 2021
Superintendent's Corner
What a year! It's hard to believe that we are finally winding down and next week we will be celebrating moving up ceremonies at our elementary and middle schools and hosting in-person outdoor graduation for the CHS Class of 2021.
It has been a trying couple of weeks as our community has dealt with the tragic loss of one of our students, CHS Junior, Moussa Fofana, yet we have been encouraged by the outpouring of love, support from the entire SOMA community. On Saturday, June 12th, CHS held a vigil and memorial event for Moussa Fofana, and several hundred community members attended in support of Moussa and his family. While students and staff members spoke lovingly about Moussa in moving tributes, our community is still experiencing an indescribable heartache of a truly tragic and senseless loss. We continue to encourage members of our community to share any tips or information with our local police department as they continue their investigation.
As we continue our wind-down, we also know that parents want to know what Fall 2021 school reopening will look like. First, we want to thank the more than 300 parents and community members who offered their thoughts on reopening for the fall utilizing our google survey that was issued. The language in that survey was lifted directly from the state's reopening template and your responses have been distributed to our Task Force Leaders.
The reopening task force team is working on the granular details regarding the fall. As we have stated many times, our goal is to open with as close to a normal pre-covid opening as possible. This includes a normal in-person schedule with lunch, snacks, etc. To accomplish this, the task force is broken down into subcommittees that focus on a particular topic that we deem as crucial for reopening. They include:
- Curriculum and Instruction;
- Health and Wellness;
- Staffing;
- Daily Operations/Lunch; and,
- Communications.
Our Governor’s recent updates have greatly assisted in our planning. With our Statewide Health Emergency concluding we now have the ability to have far fewer restrictions on our space and programming. As recently as early this week, our County Superintendent’s Office confirmed to all Districts in Essex that, Virtual learning is not permissible unless we are in a declared public health emergency. While this statement seems clear, there are also many questions, for instance how to handle quarantines (instructional) and the task force is working on these details. We are connecting our research, best practices, lessons learned, and other guiding principles to develop our plan.
We will be sharing a more detailed review of our reopening plan along with a review of our District Goals in an upcoming webinar that we hope will answer many questions of what school will look like in the fall for our SOMSD families.
Happy Juneteenth and have a great and safe weekend!
Educationally yours,
Dr. Ronald G. Taylor
Curriculum & Instruction News
The District Partners with Kean to Launch the First-Ever Dual Enrollment Program at SOMSD
The South Orange & Maplewood School District is proud to announce its partnership with Kean University's Scholar Academy. The newly launched Scholar Academy is a dual-enrollment initiative that will prepare selected high school students for college by bringing them on campus to earn college credits and take part in mentorships, internships, and other college experiences starting in ninth grade.
Kean University's innovative, new pre-college program, the Kean Scholar Academy offers qualified students the opportunity to earn college credits and participate in pre-college mentorships, internships, and other enrichment activities that support their academic journey toward college. This partnership is the District’s first time offering dual-enrollment college-based programming to students. Eleven middle-school students from SOMSD are taking part in the inaugural class, which Kean University announced in May.
Dr. Matthew Friedman, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction, says “We are so proud of the eleven SOMSD students who will be joining the inaugural Kean Scholar program.” Dr. Friedman continued “the eighth-grade students were invited to apply for the program by principals from Maplewood Middle School and South Middle School; they then had to submit an application and were chosen after a rigorous selection process from members of Kean University administration.”
The inaugural class of the Kean Scholar Academy will include about 125 students. The first cohort starts in Summer 2021 when they will begin a four-week summer orientation on the University’s Union and Skylands campuses to learn about the college experience and meet members of their cohort. Students will get a taste of college life and will begin attending classes on campus once per week starting in the Fall, and will also have twice-monthly team-building activities on Saturdays, they will attend a second session through synchronous in-person and virtual learning. Read more.
District Announces 2021 Summer Assignments & Reading List
bit.ly/3hAUxww
District 2020-21 Meal Application & P-EBT Benefits Deadline Open Until June 28
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) is part of the U.S. government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. P-EBT benefits are available to children who were eligible for free or reduced-price school meals at a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), but whose schools closed or operated with reduced attendance or hours for five consecutive days due to COVID-19.
If you have not yet completed a 2020-2021 meal application, you can still apply no later than June 28, 2021. If your student qualifies for free or reduced meals, you will be eligible for P-EBT benefits issued by the State for the entire 2020-21 school year. IF NO MEAL APPLICATION IS COMPLETED & APPROVED BY JUNE 28, 2021, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE P-EBT CARD.
Click here for information/translations: bit.ly/35AgM0I
Preschool Online Pre-Registration Deadline is Approaching: Monday, June 21
Upcoming District/School Events
SAVE THE DATE: SOMSD Integration Virtual Q&A Event for Incoming Kindergarten Families - June 29
Dear Incoming Kindergarten Families,
We invite you to join Superintendent Ronald G. Taylor on Tuesday, June 29 @ 6 pm as he provides a brief overview of the District's Intentional Integration Initiative (III) which will launch in September 2021. The brief presentation will be followed by a Q&A session for any additional questions families may have regarding III. Please visit the SOMSD III microsite for updated information regarding this initiative: http://bit.ly/SOMSDIII
Click here for event information: http://bit.ly/SOMSDIIIEvents
2021 Virtual Shakespeare Festival, Friday, June 18 @ 7pm
SOMSD Summer Food Support Programs & Information: To Begin June 19
BOE Vacancy: Material Submission Deadline, July 7
Maplewood Township 2021 Summer Meals Program Begins on June 28
Local COVID Vaccination & Testing, Rental Assistance Information & Resources
NJ vaccinations are now open to youth 12 years and up. Everyone 12 or older who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Essex County is expected to provide the Pfizer vaccine for 12 and up at two locations:
- Vaccination appointments are available at Essex County College and the Kmart West Orange location. Hours will be 3:00 p.m. -7:00 p.m., which is subject to change. You will be able to schedule an appt on http://www.essexcovid.org or https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/finder and see vaccine availability; walk-ups will also be accepted.
View previously shared information regarding local COVID testing and vaccination and other important Covid-related resources and assistance. Please visit the District website for information: https://bit.ly/3eMmxOr
Congrats to the Lacrosse Boys and Girls Student Athletes For Their Selections to All-Conference Teams
Congratulations to our student-athletes who were selected to all-conference teams by coaches from both the Kimber, Freedom South and Super Essex Conferences.
CHS Boys Lacrosse
Kimber Conference
First Team
RJ Benn 11
Walter Rae 11
Banks Grumieaux 12
2nd Team
Cole Able 10
Honorable Mention
Aden Verdun 12
SEC All-Conference Liberty Divison
First Team
RJ Benn
Walter Rae
Banks Grumieaux
Honorable Mention
Cole Able
CHS Girls Lacrosse
Freedom South -
Team Sportsmanship Award: Columbia High School Girls Lacrosse
NJIGLL Freedom South
2nd Team
Lily Ramos 12
Lila Price 12
Honorable Mention Jamie Fardin 10
Academic All-League (had to be all-League to qualify)
Lily Ramos 3.7 GPA
Lila Price 3.7 GPA
Jamie Fardin 3.9 GPA
SEC All-Conference Liberty Divison
First Team
Lily Ramos
Lila Price
SEC All-Conference Liberty Divison
2nd Team
Jamie Fardin
Julianne Hatton-Henigan 10
Honorable Mention
Indigo Banjo 12
All-Tournament Team
Lily Ramos
SOMSD Calendar of Events
- Wed., June 23: Last Day of School (GRADES PreK-7 & 9)- STUDENTS ONLY
- Thurs., June 24: Last Day of School (GRADES 8 & 10-12)/LAST TEACHER DAY
- Thurs., June 24: Columbia High School Graduation
- Mon., July 12: BOE Meeting, Public Session @ 7:30 pm
Additional Information & Resources for the Community
The School District of South Orange & Maplewood
Email: communications@somsd.k12.nj.us
Website: www.somsd.k12.nj.us
Location: 525 Academy Street, Maplewood, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-762-5600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somsdk12
Twitter: @SOMSDK12